A rose to the candlelight
by Sherian
Summary: The Darius' narration in the caves of the Avernus. One-shot, morbid (Leroux based)


**Notes:**

Firstly, I want to thank Sali for giving me the name for the story. - Thank you! -  
It's a Darius' POV of an imaginary scene between Daroga's last scene in the Erik's house and before of the epilogue.  
(All belongs to the great writer Gaston Leroux)  
this is my first attempt of morbid fanfic :)

Work Text:

I always knew he was smart, "a genius" if I had to choose a word to describe him and also that his intelligence was accompanied for an extravagant madness.

But I assumed there was a line dividing madness and genius, and that in that space there was a trace of sanity in his actions; today I'm sure he isn't, the man is demented.

And being the madness a contagious disease, I also am.

Because nobody with a little common sense they would go to a place which was almost the grave of their master.

I don't assume that you'll believe in the story that I'm going to narrate you, but I can tell you there is all the truth in my words, because as I allege, was witness to this fact.

First of all, let me explain to you which were the reasons that led me to commit such stupidity: an altruistic act for a desperate woman and I've to admit also a little curiosity about all this.

"She just wanted to know if she was alive ...if she was all right." That was all, a simple wish. who was I to deny _possibly_ the last wish to a dying woman?

I'd no foggiest idea what was going to happen or what I probably might find and with the greatest recklessness and naivete of the world, went to that place.

I could tell you with luxuries and details how descended from the opera until subsoil of the same; but I'm afraid it'd be too boring for you and that's not what I came to tell you, nor I'll comment you how I managed to leave of hideout that once he was the Angel of Music. Because everything was pure luck, or maybe he was in a good mood to leave me alive.

I don't know nor do I care; what matters is that I'm alive and for no reason, I'll return there again.

I'll be brief saying I was cautious how my master had told me about his tricks, fortunately, I didn't fall in any, and I don't consider myself an enemy to him entered in the lake in a small boat.

 _Just like Charon in the underworld, I rowed among dark waters of the Averne._

The lake house was exactly as they'd been described to me, except for a familiar smell in the air, something totally different from the wax, rats or even the smell of death that gave off his skin and everywhere I saw vases filled with roses of different types and colours, the smell was of flowers.

I was surprised to see that he seemed to be waiting for my visit, I won't tell you that gave me the joy to see him because it would lie to you, and as I said before my story is totally true. I gave a smile reserved to the corpse and I entered in his domains below the popular opera.

I looked his home with care, trying to find her in somewhere and consequently happened...

"My dear ..." he screams from the depths of his withered throat "... We've a guest!" And I looked everywhere until finally, I saw her.

"There she was!" I screamed inside of me, "I had found her!" She seemed alive and safe with a light pink dress.

Seated behind me and with a book in her hands, the young soprano was on the couch; totally ignoring his words and thus my presence too. Originally I intuited it was from fear to anger the creature that she didn't put on down the book to see who it was.

"What did you come here for?" asked me and I answered calmly that several years ago my master had lent him a something and that I needed it back.

His yellow eyes looked at me for an uncomfortably long time, trying to find out if it was true or a lie; but luck was on my side. at that time, because he indeed believed me or so it seemed and without telling me anything, he walked to his room in the background of the house.

It was there when I knew I'd to make my move, approached quickly to the young blonde, and before speaking her I look everywhere to assure myself that it was safe.

"Miss Daaé, Miss Daaé" I whispered and shook her cold shoulders in a somewhat desperate attempt to take her attention to me. We didn't have much time, luckily Erik remained in his room looking something that never he'd find.

I wish I hadn't done that!

Because as soon as her shoulder moved slightly; the blue book fell from her hands toward the floor and revealing me whatever I never should've seen.

The sound was muffled by the thick red carpet, but I wouldn't have worried if he had heard the noise, no! I haven't seemed important at that moment; I was busy watching the barbarism that was in front of me.

When I looked at her fixedly, my hands covering my mouth to stop a scream.

Oh, it was horrible! I wish never I would see such scene! And worst of all is that still, I see her when I close my eyes!

The first thing I remember were her blue eyes that shine in such a way I seemed known, almost real. And how shone with the fire of candles!

And how I'll forget it of that awful smile! A frightening ear-to-ear smile that completely covered her face with two small black lines drawn in the edges of her mouth.

I had never seen anything more horrible, never! Which may I tell you from now on?

at that moment, I wanted to leave that horrible place, but then a hand fell on my shoulder and ... genuinely I thought that I'd die!

"I see you found her," he said with his melancholy voice, picking up the book from the floor.

"Yes ..." I answered with fear in my tone, I don't know if he noticed, because it just he never said anything about it.

He ordered me to sit down and I had no choice but to do it, I sat down in the armchair most aloof of the living room; wanted to be away from that monstrous creature and of its creator.

For his part, Erik sat beside her if it's that I can call it so.

"Christine," he told to the doll "This is a friend of mine that was eager for visiting us... "Why don't you ask her something? I think you were anxious to speak to her "

"I'm telling you to ask her something, Darius!" he screamed to not hear an answer and I swallowed some saliva ... was scared How he knew my name? If I had never introduced myself.

"Oh, Erik," said a female voice, "I think we've been bad hosts" and turned her head to him, then I understood the two lines in her mouth; her jaw was dislocated and moved up and down giving the impression that effectively she spoke.

And the worst is that mimicked his voice to perfection, her sweet and beautiful voice, I could swear it was her and not only an imitation of the phantom.

"Why do you say that?" He asked her as if not knowing the answer as if she really wasn't a doll but a person. The genius of the opera had lost his mind!

"we haven't offered a cup of tea to our guest " it was her voice! just as I had heard her sing in the Opera.

"Of course, darling," he said softly and kissed her forehead carefully and went to the kitchen to get me a cup of tea. The man was completely deranged!

I could have gone, but I was left watching her carefully. What else could I do besides trying to keep him happy? he could catch me quickly if I tried to flee, I could run with the same fate as her. Tried in vain to far off from my mind the reasons that led at the ghost to having become her in that and until now I haven't wanted to think about that terrible fate that had to pass Mr Changy.

Her blonde hair was soft, didn't seem to be made of any material that would have seen before, I shuddered at the thought that it could be of real hair. I approached to try to get a clue about the whereabouts of Mr Changy, maybe he was still alive, though it was somewhat unlikely.

As I approached to inspect to Erik's dummy, I thought I heard something ... was on her chest, just on the left side: was a heart, and the sound was its heartbeat, a horrible and steady heartbeat!

I know you'll to believe me, but I swear you, what I heard was real.

I wondered if he had dissected after killing her, but then I saw just wood and wax ... or well so thought until that moment.

I was about to give up when I looked her hands for a few moments just about where was Erik's gold ring, I realized almost instantly of touching them that were something heavy even more than the rest of it, slightly lift the sleeve of her dress ... and I scraped only a little where the arm and hand bind: on the wrist, what I found yet terrifies me, wasn't wood was not what I found but a bone, her bone...

He had cut her off the hands and had placed to his own monstrous creation!

I released her like if she was the plague and I tried to compose it before Erik came.

"Oh, May God have mercy on my wretched soul!" I implored because yet I was in his lair and at his mercy

But I won't torment your reading with the dark memories of the following agonising hours that I had to spend in the company of the puppeteer and his Christine's dummy. During which I did nothing but make sure that effectively, had died all traces of sanity in him, in those terrible hours, only questions and doubts crossing my fevered mind.

I'm ashamed to admit that I had to make him think I was crazy too, and even I had an unpleasant talk, with his Christine as if she was a normal woman but ironically some her parts had belonged ever to a human being.

But as I said initially I didn't come to tell you about of my journey to escape from his hands and of my death apparently imminent ...nor think I'll tell you what I said to Madame Valerius about the whereabouts of her daughter.

No, only I'm here to tell you about the worrisome scene that my eyes saw the end of the trip.

While we pulled away in the boat and Erik couldn't stop talking ... certainly, I don't remember the subject of his conversation, only it was exciting enough to keep him distracted of to end my life.

I turned around looking fixedly for the last time the lake house which never I'll return and you'll not believe me, but I swear you that I saw her... I saw her stand up from the couch and raising her right hand moving it from side to side.

Erik seemed not to have noticed because his gaze was fixed on the horizon as he continued speaking me, but I was pale as a corpse; I'd seen something completely contrary to all logic. Myself had ascertained she was nothing more than a ventriloquist's dummy!

How the hell she was able to get up by herself and to wave her dead hand to us?

 **Notes:**

I think that to read "the phantom of the opera" and next to see the movie "Dead Silence" wasn't a good combination :P  
*My English isn't excellent so if you find some mistake, please tell me!

Thank you for reading!

PS: I'm very sorry for the previous format /, I hope that this time will be legible format

Very thanks to whom I was told of the mistake! :)


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